BASF announced it is lifting its declaration of Force Majeure with respect to citral-based aroma chemicals, as well as vitamin A and vitamin E products for human and animal nutrition. The citral plant had to be shut down after a fire on March 12, 2014, and the company consequently had to declare Force Majeure. However, BASF was able to stay within the announced shutdown period of four weeks starting March 19, 2014. Meanwhile, the company implemented measures to limit the consequences of the situation and was continuously informing customers on its development. Product supply will normalize within the framework of delivery lead times and respective inventory levels.

Sederma unveiled a new web experience with the Russian language. The site includes a product finder, downloadable formulations, educational and informational content, and access to the extranet, which allows Sederma customers to access and download more detailed information and documentation about its range of products.

Seatons launched a new guide to natural oils, butters and waxes for men’s care.

Beraca International North America announced it has expanded its operations in the U.S. and is moving into direct sales in the Northeast and Midwest territories, which were previously served by DeWolf Chemical and Glenn Corporation, respectively. The company still uses distributors in other territories of North America and has no plans to go direct in those areas. Beraca believes this move will increase the overall transparency with its customers and create sustainable relationships necessary to meet Beraca's growth goals. Also, Beraca was invited to the recent World Economic Forum on Latin America in Panama City, Panama, which brought together more than 600 leaders from government, industry, civil society and academia from over 50 nations to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the region. And in addition to representing Brazil in the forum, Beraca also was selected as a Global Growth Company alongside 15 other global companies.

In the fourth quarter of 2014, Symrise announced it will open a site for research, development and the manufacturing of sustainable ingredients from the Amazon region. The Ecoparque, an industrial condominium, promotes and combines sustainability and the manufacturing of high-quality products. Within the facility, Symrise plans to explore, develop and manufacture high-quality products from indigenous resources.

Evonik’s hair and scalp care active ingredient Sphingony won a 2014 BSB Innovation Award at in-cosmetics. Sphingony is a naturally occurring, skin-identical sphingolipid that prevents hair loss by addressing scalp health and rebalancing the life cycle of the hair.

Alban Muller International was awarded a gold Green Ingredient Award during the 2014 in-cosmetics event for its scurvy grass extract, which was custom developed for the Clarins Capital Lumière range. The plant, which can grow on even the most hostile soils, was discovered at the Herboretum. The Herboretum, a garden which protects local plants and whose philosophy is that "there are no weeds, only plants of which we don't yet know the virtues," highlights the importance of preserving this promising natural heritage for the future.

Induchem was awarded the silver Innovation Award for its use of green chemistry and the demonstrated efficacy of its Redensyl ingredient. Rendensyl is a hair care cosmetic active ingredient based on regenerative medicine research. It targets hair follicle stem cells to reactivate their division and stimulate their initiation of the anagen phase. It also contains two patented molecules from Induchem: DHQG and EGCG2.

Myramaze from Rahn received Bronze in the category “Innovative Raw Materials—Natural Products” in the BSB Innovation Awards for cosmetics and raw materials during in-cosmetics 2014.

Indena S.A.S. and the Chinese company Youcare Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. participated in the Forum Économique Franco-Chinois, organized by the Comité France Chine to celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations among China and France in commemoration of the Chinese president’s visit to France.

The Society of Cosmetic Chemists (SCC) announced a revamped SCC website. The new website represents a major improvement over the past website, including innovative branding, real-time news and events, updates, and improved referral services. Additional features will be debuted in the coming year as well, including improved chapter news availability, as well as a new membership database system that will allow for improved e-commerce and meeting registration functionality.

Silab's fourth Silab Days event will take place on June 19-20, 2014, at Silab in Brive, France. The event will include the inauguration of its new production unit (UPF), a unit dedicated to actives issued from biotechnologies. Also, the first day’s theme is water, and the second day includes a guided tour of the Silab site, a Q&A session and more.

People News

Dorsett and Jackson hired Peter Thiessen for a sales position calling on cosmetic and personal care accounts in southern California.

New Launches

TRI-K Industries developed a unique, multifunctional protein that targets anti-aging for hair care. Baobab Tein NPNF is an exotic ingredient derived from baobab that helps to repair damage, increase hair strength, protect from UV damage, moisturize dry hair and nourish strands from root to tip. TRI-K is among the first to develop a baobab protein with specific benefits directly correlated to the amino acid composition. Studies were performed on African, Brazilian and Caucasian hair, all showing strong results. Baobab Tein NPNF is a five-in-one anti-aging solution for hair, and it is introduced with TRI-K’s new preservative system, NPNF (nonparaben, non-formaldehyde).

DSM demonstrated its commitment to “revealing the true power of beauty”—the heart of its new identity launched last year for the beauty and personal care market—at in-cosmetics 2014. The company presented a range of beauty care ingredients and concepts through the sensorial world of beauty, including Valvance a range of sensory and visual modifiers. A sensory line with cross-segmental roots, it has been developed with DSM’s expertise in all aspects of skin and sun care. With the newly developed “Bright Eye” and “Shine Control & Pore Minimizer” concepts featuring Valvance customers not only get strong immediate results but the assurance of a fully substantiated consumer benefit. DSM also presented the next level of its Ultimate UV Protection platform, turning day care with UV protection and beach sunscreens into desirable formulations optimizing both performance and sensory characteristics. It also featured Regu-Science, an active carefully isolated and purified from Asparagus officinalis "Grolim." With its unique mechanism of action, this asparagus variety offers a solution to the naturally occurring cellular aging process by stimulating skin’s own autophagy capabilities, thus helping to delay signs of cellular aging by decades. And in hair care, DSM showcased Phytantriol to repair, enhance and protect hair from root to tip.

Oat Cosmetics is expanding its ingredient portfolio by introducing Oat Silk. Oat Silk is an oat flour extract designed to offer textural modification of skin care and color cosmetic formulations. At inclusion rates as low as 1%, Oat Silk can transform the sensory attributes of the most basic emulsions by imparting a luxuriant and silky feel to skin care creams and lotions. It also works well for color cosmetic formulations, as it demonstrates high compactability due to its fine particle size. Oat Silk is a very fine off-white powder produced by fine milling the oat kernel after removing the outer bran layer. Unlike other cereal flours, oat flour is naturally high in polar lipids, which increase the ingredient’s efficacy and functionality. And when incorporated into beauty product applications, it has a brightening and mattifying effect on skin tone.

Lessonia is introducing its Celluloscrub at the New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists (NYSCC) Supplier’s Day 2014. Celluloscrub is a natural powder designed to replace polyethylene beads in beauty products as facial cleansers, exfoliating body wash, or body scrubs. The natural scrub is manufactured with modified cellulose extracted from wood pulp. It is a 100% renewable and biodegradable material that can be safely used, and it offers a white, stable color, the same abrasiveness as PE beads. It also has as a good suspension capacity due to its low density, and it is worldwide approved (including China). It is an eco friendly material that is safe and classified in the GRAS list of substances.